Basant 2027 Date in Lahore: 12 to 14 March, DC Notification, Kite Sale Dates and Rules
Basant 2027 in Lahore is now on 12 to 14 March under the DC notification, as reported. See kite sale dates, allowed sizes, banned string and who can fly.
Short answer: Basant 2027 in Lahore is back to three days, 12 to 14 March 2027. The Lahore Deputy Commissioner issued the formal notification on Friday 23 October 2026, as reported. The 10-day festival from 29 January to 7 February, approved in September, has been dropped.
This is the third set of dates for the festival since August, so it is easy to be confused. The notification is the legal step that matters: under Punjab's kite flying law, kite flying is allowed only on days a Deputy Commissioner notifies. Below are the new dates, when kites and string can be made, traded and sold, the size limits, and what is still banned. We could not open the notification on a government website, so every detail here is as reported, and we say where reports come from.
Basant 2027 is on 12, 13 and 14 March in Lahore
Kite flying will be allowed in Lahore district from 12 to 14 March 2027, except in prohibited zones, according to the Deputy Commissioner's notification of 23 October as reported. Only kites and string allowed under Punjab's 2025 kite flying rules and regulations may be used.
Here is how the dates have moved, so you can tell which announcement you are reading.
| When | What was decided | Dates for Basant 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | Chief Minister announced the festival | 12 to 14 March 2027 |
| 30 September 2026 | Chief Minister approved a 10-day festival, as reported | 29 January to 7 February 2027 |
| About 20 October 2026 | Punjab cabinet approved new dates, as reported | 12 to 14 March 2027 |
| 23 October 2026 | Lahore Deputy Commissioner notification, as reported | 12 to 14 March 2027 |
Reports say the Deputy Commissioner sent a summary to the Home Department proposing the change, and the cabinet approved it. The reason for dropping the 10-day plan has not been made public. Our earlier report on the 10-day Basant plan covers the September decision that has now been reversed.
Kite sales open to the public on 10 February 2027
The notification sets four windows, as reported. Making kite material is allowed from 5 September 2026, trade and storage from 1 February 2027, and sales to the public from 10 February 2027. All four end on 14 March 2027, the last day of Basant.
| Activity | Allowed from | Allowed until | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Making kites and string | 5 September 2026 | 14 March 2027 | Valid digital registration |
| Buying, moving and storing material | 1 February 2027 | 14 March 2027 | Registered traders only |
| Sale to the public | 10 February 2027 | 14 March 2027 | Registered sellers only |
| Kite flying | 12 March 2027 | 14 March 2027 | Outside prohibited zones |
The 5 September start matches what the Lahore Deputy Commissioner announced on 4 September, when Radio Pakistan reported that registration for making kite material would begin the next day. So if you buy kites before 10 February, the seller is breaking the rules, and so is any shop that stocks string before 1 February.
Kites and string have fixed sizes, and sharp string is banned
A patang may be no bigger than four and a half githi (hand spans), 35 inches wide and 30 inches long. A gudda may be no bigger than one and a half tawa, 40 inches wide and 34 inches long. String must be cotton, wound on a pinna, as reported from the notification.
The string may have no more than nine threads and no fewer than 28 counts. Its coating may use only starch, 350 mesh glass powder and rice flour. Chemicals, glues, hardeners and metal of any kind are banned. The charkhi (reel), sharp manjha, metal wire and nylon string are banned outright: making, selling, carrying or owning them is an offence.
The penalties come from the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025. Flying a kite outside the notified days, or with banned string, can bring 3 to 5 years in jail or a fine of up to Rs 2 million. The full list of offences is set out with the Basant 2027 rules and registration steps.
Sellers must register, and motorcyclists need safety rods
No one may make, trade, store or sell kite material without registering with the Deputy Commissioner, according to the notification as reported. Registered sellers must display their certificate and keep stock, sales and movement records for inspection.
- Register with the Lahore district administration before you make, trade or sell any kite material.
- Display your registration certificate where you work.
- Keep records of stock, sales and movement, and show them to an inspecting officer when asked.
- Buy and sell only allowed sizes and cotton string.
- If you ride a motorcycle in Lahore during Basant, fit the safety rod required by the kite flying regulations.
Registration is through eBiz Punjab, the provincial business licensing service. When we read the Punjab Basant portal in September, it sent manufacturers, traders, sellers and associations to separate eBiz forms, with a fee of Rs 1,000, or Rs 5,000 for an association. Kite flying associations must follow the Kite Flying Rules 2025 and work with the Deputy Commissioner's officers.
Basant is still for Lahore only
The notification covers Lahore district. Kite flying in Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala or any other Punjab district stays illegal unless that district's Deputy Commissioner issues its own notification. None had been reported when we checked on 24 October 2026.
The Punjab law does not apply outside Punjab at all. So Islamabad, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan are not covered by these dates. Basant was banned in 2007 after deaths and injuries from sharp string and celebratory firing, and returned to Lahore in February 2026 after the new law. If the rules seem strict, that history is the reason.
Common questions about Basant 2027
What is the Basant 2027 date in Lahore?
12, 13 and 14 March 2027, under the Lahore Deputy Commissioner's notification of 23 October 2026, as reported.
Is Basant 2027 still 10 days?
No. The 10-day plan from 29 January to 7 February, approved in September, was replaced by the three March dates in October.
When can I buy kites for Basant 2027?
Sales to the public open on 10 February 2027 and close on 14 March 2027, only from registered sellers.
What size kite is allowed?
A patang up to 35 inches wide and 30 inches long, and a gudda up to 40 inches wide and 34 inches long.
Can I fly kites in Rawalpindi or Faisalabad?
Not unless your own district's Deputy Commissioner notifies Basant dates. The 2027 notification is for Lahore only.
Is the charkhi allowed?
No. The charkhi, sharp manjha, metal wire and nylon string are all banned, as reported from the notification.
How we verified this
What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.
Last checked 24 October 2026. The dates, the four windows, kite sizes, string rules and seller duties are from press reports of the Lahore Deputy Commissioner's notification of 23 October 2026. We could not read the notification itself: the Punjab Basant portal and the Lahore district website did not load for us on 24 October. The cabinet approval of about 20 October is also reported only. The 5 September registration start is confirmed by Radio Pakistan's report of 4 September 2026. The penalties are from the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Act 2025, as read for our earlier report. Check the Deputy Commissioner's notice before you buy or fly.
About the author
Public Services and Education Journalist
Fajr Riaz is a journalist and content writer at Pakistan Era, based in Lahore. She covers the questions people meet in everyday life in Pakistan: how a public service works, what a change in the rules means, and where to find a reliable answer.
